Stop-cock.



M. S. HOLLIS.

STOP COCK.

-' APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 23, 1910.

992,502. Patented May 16, 1911;

M M l s. 23% M 33 M: Momma/e THE mmms PETERS C0,, WASHINGTON, 0.5:.

MILES S. HOLLIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STOP-COCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILES S. HOLLIS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStop-Cocks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates more particularly to a safety stop cock to beused in connection with gas fixtures.v

It very often happens through ignorance or by accident that the gas isturned on which results in loss of life and sometimes considerabledamage to property. It is understood that attempts have been made toprevent the accidental movement of the plugs of ordinary gas cocks, butthe means proposed, so far as I am aware, have been either complicatedor expensive to make, or have been ineflicient for the purpose for whichthey were intended.

The primary object of the invention is to overcome the objectionsincident to devices of this kind as ordinarily constructed, and toprovide a device which cannot be operated except by a separate movementon the part of one element of the device to cause the same to engage theplug before the latter can be rotated, thus reducing to a minimum allliability to the accidental rotation of the plug either to turn on or011 the gas.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient meanswhereby the element adapted for rotating the gas plug may be so held asto permit its free rotation without operating the plug.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the plugand element to rotate the same may be held in permanent engagement sothat the plug may be rotated in the usual manner, or the said rotatingelement may be held permanently out of engagement with the plug, so thatit will require a separate operation before the plug can be rotated toturn on or shut off the gas.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinaftermore particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification, and will then be pointed out inthe claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section, partly in elevation, showing oneform of gas cock embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is a sectional planview, taken on the line IIII of Fig. 1.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 23, 1910.

Patented May 16, 1911.

Serial No. 598,958.

While I show the invention as applied to a stop cock adapted for use inconnection with gas fixtures, it will be understood that the inventionmay be applied to cocks or valves used for other purposes withoutdeparting from the character of the invention.

The body 10 may be connected to the gas pipe or other source of supply11, and in said body "is an opening 12 for the passage of the fluid. Aplug or valve 13 is rotatably held in the body and this plug may have anopening 14 adapted to be placed into communication with the opening orpassage 12 or to be moved at right angles thereto, as shown, so that thegas may be permitted to flow through the body or to be shut off by theplug according to the position of the opening 14 as is usual wit-hdevices of this kind. The plug may be tapered to fit a tapered openingin the body and may be held within the body by a screw 15 and a washer16, and said plug may have the usual or any preferred form of stop tolimit its rotary movement. That is, it may have any suitable stop toindicate that the gas is turned on or off according to the position ofthe plug, it being usual to provide a pin or similar means for thispurpose.

The lower end of the plug has an extended portion 17 and this portionmay be of any desired form. As shown, it is tapering and substantiallysquare and has a tapering conical part 18, and arranged around the plugis a casing member 19 which may be held to the body by a threadedportion 20 or by a clip or in any other way. The casing member 19 formsa recess or chamber 21 under the plug 18 and has a reduced tubularportion 22 in which is rotatably held the stem 23 of a rotary member orelement 24:. This member 24 serves as a key and has an enlarged partorhead 25 located within the chamber 21, and in said head is a taperedportion 26 to receive the conical part 18 and a tapering substantiallysquare opening or recess 27 which is adapted to fit about the squarepart 17 of the plug 13. A. handle portion 28 is held to the stem 23 andmay be detachable therefrom, and said handle portion has a shoulder 29between which and the end of the sleeve 22 is a spring 30.

It will be seen that the head 25 will hold the rotary member 241 againstremoval and the spring 30 tends normally to force the head 25 away fromthe projection 17 of the plug 18. By forcing the rotary member or keyagainst the action of the spring 30, the

part 27 will fit about the part 17 at which time, by rotating the key,the plug may be also rotated to turn on or shut ofi' the gas or otherfluid, and as soon as the key is released, the spring will restore thesame to the position shown in Fig. 1, thus permitting the key to rotateindependently of the plug, so that in this position it will not in anyway affect the position of the plug 17 and thus the liability of the gasbeing accidentally turned on or shut off through the key is very remoteas itrequires a movement of the key toward the plug as well as a rotarymovement thereof before the plug can be rotated.

It may be desirable in order to prevent children from turning on orshutting oi? the gas, or to permit the device to be used in the ordinaryway, and for such purposes, I may provide one or more annular grooves inthe stem portion 23 of the key 24. As shown there are two grooves 31 and32 and adapted to enter either of said grooves is the screw 33. Thescrew 33 is held to the tubular part- 2-2 of the sleeve 19 and it causedto enter the groove 31, it will prevent the upward movement of the keyso that it will be impossible without releasing the screw to rotate theplug by means of the key 2%. If on the other hand the key is forcedupwardly until the groove 32 is in alinement with the end of the screw38, the said key will be locked to the plug so that a rotary movement ofthe key will operate the plug in substantially the same manner as in theordinary gas cook.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that a simple and efiicient deviceis provided in which the liability to accidents either to property orloss of life by accidentally turning on the gas is reduced to a minimum;that said device is simple in construction and may be readily made andassembled; that before the plug element of the cock can be rotated, itis necessary to give movement lengthwise of the plug to an ele ment bywhich the plug may be rotated; that such actuating element may rotatefreely in one position independently of the plug; and that said cock maybe used in the ordinary way or the actuating element may be held in sucha way that it cannot be operated unless said element is released.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination of a valve body, and a valve plug,which members are provided with openings brought to register when theplug is turned, of a tubular casing having one end attached to the bodyin alinementwith the plug axis, the casing having a reduced portionbeyond the plug forming a shoulder, a stem rotatable in the reducedportion and having a handle on its outer end, the stem having a headwithin the casing arranged to engage said shoulder, a coil spring on thestem arranged to press it outwardly with the head engaging saidshoulder, the plug having an extension projecting into the casing andprovided with abutment portions, said head having a socket havingabutments normally free from the projection of the plug whereby the stemcan be rotated without engagement with the extension, but which socketwalls will engage the abutment walls when the stem is advanced towardthe plug, whereby the plug will turn with the stem.

2. The combination of a valve body, and a valve plug, which members areprovided with openings brought to register when the plug is turned, of atubular casing having one end attached to the body in alinement with theplug axis, the casing having a reduced portion beyond the plug forming ashoulder, a stem rotatable in the reduced portion and having a handle onits outer end, the stem having a head within the easing arranged toengage said shoulder, a coil spring on the stem arranged to press itoutwardly with the head engaging said shoulder, the plug having anextension projecting into the casing and provided with abutmentportions, said head having a socket having abutments normally free fromthe projection of the plug whereby the stem. can be ro tated withoutengagement with the extension, but which socket walls will engage theabutment walls when the stem is advanced toward the plug, whereby theplug will turn with the stem, the tubular extension of the w casinghaving a screw threaded in one side to be moved inwardly, said stembeing provided with a pair of recesses to alternately receive said screwwhen advanced, the recesses being so positioned that one will be engagedby the screw when the head is in engagement with the shoulder portlonand the other recess will be positioned to be engaged by the screw whenthe stem is advanced to cause engagement between the head and the plugprojection, whereby the stem can be held for rotation in either of saidpositions, or is free for longitudlnal movement when the screw isdisengaged from the recesses.

This specification signed and witnessed this 22nd day of December A. D.1910.

MILES S. HOLLIS. lVitnesses: V

C. BARTELS, Lns'rnn O. TAYLOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C.

